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Audience

Teens, Adults

Time

10 minutesDescription

This demonstration uses a fake coffee taste test (between Nescafe and Kopi Luak) to make the point that expectations are higher for our customers when we ask them to invest more. This can be used to talk about meeting customer expectations.

John 2:6-10 (The head of ceremonies’ delight at the unexpected surprise of the best wine served last.)

Revelation 3:15-16 (Jesus’ disappointment with the church of Laodicea for being lukewarm)

Materials

Two cups (optional – one ordinary and one elegant)

Two spoons (optional – one plastic and one nicer)

Hot water (possibly in a pitcher or carafe)

Instant coffee (enough for two cups)

Copy paper (one sheet, cut in half)

Marker

Table

Optional – other ways to make a distinction between the two cups of coffee (i.e., a doily or handkerchief, a mint or chocolate, etc.)

Preparation

Label one half-sheet of paper, “Nescafe.”

Label the other half-sheet of paper, “Kopi Luak.”

Put the same instant coffee in each of the cups.

Prepare your hot water so that it will be ready (and still hot when you do the demo).

Set your table with the cups of coffee, and label each with one of the two signs.

Decorate the table however you like to make a distinction between the two cups of coffee.

Procedure

Use the following script (or modify to suit your needs):

“I would like to do a taste test, and I need a volunteer who knows the difference between a regular cup of coffee and an exceptional cup of coffee.” (Ask a volunteer to come to the front, and then direct your questions to him or her.)

“Have you ever heard of a type of coffee called ‘Kopi Luak?’” (Acknowledge response. Whether or not the volunteer is familiar with the coffee, you will need to explain for the audience.)

“Kopi Luak is a coffee that originates from Indonesia.”

“It is said by some that it is the best coffee in the world.”

“Kopi Luak means ‘coffee Luak.’”

“A luak (pictured above) is a type of cat that lives in Indonesia and eats a large amount of coffee beans.”

“After the cat digests the coffee beans and passes them as waste, workers harvest the beans for the Kopi Luak coffee.” (Ask your volunteer is he/she still wants to be your volunteer for this taste test. Keep it light, but find another volunteer if this one no longer wants to participate.)

“There is something about the acids in the digestive system of the cat that make the coffee beans especially good and flavorful.”

“As you can imagine, you have to pay a high price for drinking coffee that has been through a cat’s digestive system!”

“A single, small cup of Kopi Luak coffee often sells for over $10 USD.”

“I would like to see if this famous coffee is as good as they say, so I’ve brought some in for this taste test.” (Pour the hot water, and stir your two cups of coffee.)

“On the left, I have a normal cup of Nescafe.”

“On the right, I have a cup of Kopi Luak.” (Now, address the volunteer again.)

“Would you please take a sip of each cup of coffee and let us know what you think of the difference?” (Have the volunteer describe the difference. There is a potential here that the volunteer may think there is a difference in taste because you have built up the ‘Kopi Luak’ coffee so much. If so, try not to embarrass him/her by pointing out that both cups are really just Nescafe. Focus more on whether or not the volunteer thinks the difference is really worth the difference in price.)

“How much would you be willing to pay for the cup of coffee on the left?” (Allow volunteer to respond.)

“And how much would you be willing to pay for a cup of the Kopi Luak?” (Allow volunteer to respond. Hopefully, the difference in what the volunteer is willing to pay is not as dramatic as the price difference you described.)

“It doesn’t taste like the difference between a $1 and a $10 cup of coffee, does it?”

“When you pay $10 for a cup of coffee, you expect something spectacular and life-changing!”

“It’s disappointing when something is built up and doesn’t deliver on the promises made about it.”

“But what if I told you that I was playing a bit of a trick and that both coffee cups have nothing more than Nescafe in them?” (Acknowledge volunteer’s response, and keep it light to prevent embarrassing him or her. Then thank the volunteer and let him/her take a seat.)

“It’s even worse, isn’t it, when I promise something so different and remarkable but really just repackage the same old, ordinary stuff?”

“It’s even more disappointing than if I had told you from the beginning that they were the same.”

“There is a lesson in this about how we deal with our customers.”

“It’s much better to under-promise and over-deliver than to over-promise and under-deliver.” (If you want to go deeper with this lesson, have the participants read through the three Scriptures at the top of this lesson and discuss the Debrief Questions below.)